[A writer] should try not to be too far, personally, below the level of his work.

In 'real life' everything is diluted; in the novel everything is condensed.

The Irish landowner, partly from laziness but also from an indifferent delicacy, does not interfere in the lives of the people round. Sport and death are the two great socializing factors in Ireland, but these cannot operate the whole time: on the whole, the landowner leaves his tenants and work-people to make their own mistakes, while he makes his.

children like change - for one thing, they never anticipate regret.

the slight sense of degeneracy induced by reading novels before luncheon

nobody ever dies of an indignity.

Silences have a climax, when you have got to speak.